I come from a family that has genealogists on both sides. They have gone back several generations. There is only one branch one my mom’s side of the family that has only gone back four generations. Other than that the majority of the research has already been completed. If you find yourself in a similar situation there are several things you can do.
First you can double check the work that has already been completed. With the ease of researching online it should not be too difficult to double-check the names and dates. In my case most of the genealogy that has been completed in sixties, seventies and eighties. This is before technology made research a lot easier. A few mistakes may have been made inadvertently.
Second you can post the information online to preserve the research that has been done. This is one of the best and easiest ways to share the research with the entire family. It may take several hours to enter and record the information and add pertinent details to flesh out the daily life of your ancestors when possible. However your family will appreciate the work that has been done.
Third, you can share the research with your children and teach them about their ancestors. The stories should be passed from generation to generation. That is one of the biggest reasons to do your genealogy, if you do not share the work with the rising generations there does not seem to be much point in doing the research. You may want to interview the family members who did the genealogy to add stories about the research to your family’s history.
If the work has been done previously it does not mean that you should not participate in researching your genealogy. You can also volunteer and help others complete their genealogy work. Genealogy can be a fun hobby or profession.
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